THE EUROPEANS REPRESENTED THE KEY TO THE SOLUTION

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[05:26 pm] 19 April, 2006

Armen Roustamyan Opposes

During the 8th session of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary cooperation
Committee in Armenia critical announcements were made about the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict. In particular, member of the
Committee Hannes Svoboda announced that the Armenian armed forces
must leave the occupied lands, they must be given a special status;
a referendum will solve the status problem, the refugees must return
to their houses, and peace-keeping forces must be allocated in
those areas.

By the way, he said all this as an agreement with the Armenian
side. Several other Europeans claimed that the areas are occupied
by the Armenian side and it is not a secret for anyone. NA deputy
Armen Roustamyan had to answer these claims, “The RA did not occupy
any lands. The history of the conflict is that Azerbaijan committed
aggression against the Karabakh people in answer to their raising the
issue of sovereignty. We must not forget the 1988 events in Sumgayit;
there are facts, and we can prove whatever we say with facts.

This aggression was beaten by the Armenian forces and control was
established over the areas according to the 51st article of the UN
legislation. We ask you to check everything yourselves.”

He informed that the getting acquainted with the history of the
conflict the Europeans will make sure that the RA is a side involved
in the conflict and not one that started it, “RA cannot fully replace
NKR in the negotiations. We cannot represent the sovereignty right
instead of the Karabakh people and decide their fate.”

“We demand that Karabakh participate in the negotiations and this
is a necessity in order to make the negotiation process more real,”
Armen Roustamyan said informing the European concerned with the
Karabakh conflict those options which are acceptable for Armenia,
“Our approach is clear: Karabakh must make use of its sovereignty
right unconditionally and without restrictions. Speaking about
sovereignty as part of Azerbaijan when they will speak about the
defense of the rights of national minorities in the territory of a
country is completely out of this context. Naturally, the variant
acceptable for us is independence.”

Roustamyan informed that Armenia has seen what autonomy offered by
the Azeri side means by the example of Nakhijevan. “The Autonomous
Republic of Nakhijevan had the highest status in the former USSR.

And in that status all the Armenians were evicted from there while
according to the data of the year 1927, 40% of its population was
Armenian. Today there are no Armenians there. You have also seen
what they have done with the cultural heritage. Seeing all this,
how do you imagine that the Karabakh people will ever agree to have
that highest status as part of Azerbaijan? It is absurd. ”

The head of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations also said it
was totally absurd that the Armenian side too is required to refrain
from militant statements, as “it is no secret that the Armenian side
does not want a new war.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress